‘Supergirl’ and ‘Arrow’ Stars Speak Out on Producer’s Sexual Harassment

Late Friday saw Supergirl and Flash fans taken aback with word that producer Andrew Kreisberg had his own streak of sexual harassment. That put the stars in a difficult position, but Melissa Benoist herself has now spoken up about “refusing to accept an environment that is anything less than a safe, respectful and collaborative space,” as have other Arrow cast.

Kreisberg has since been suspended in his capacity as executive producer, following a Variety report that at least nineteen staffers had complained about the Arrow-verse boss’ history of lewd comments and inappropriate touching. It isn’t entirely clear what Kreisberg’s role might be going forward, but Benoist took it on her super-shoulders to become the first franchise star with indirect comments on the matter:

Benoist wasn’t the only star willing to speak out, however, as Arrow vet Emily Bett Rickards took a sharper line against those who perpetuate rape culture:

That line about “reverse sexism” seems particularly charged, as Arrow’s own executive producer Marc Guggenheim took flack on Twitter for invoking reverse sexism in a response to Conan O’Brien:

Other stars like David Ramsey, Chyler Leigh and Caity Lotz also offered platitudes in support of Benoist and Rickards:

UPDATE: Stephen Amell released his own video statement, having spoken to the Arrow cast and crew first:

Kreisberg had been serving in a more overall producer capacity to Flash and Supergirl, but we’ll see if his suspension has any noticeable effect on the franchise, or if other stars speak out. Stay tuned for the latest in the meantime.